Tested Patience Leads to Chaos
by Karianasan
Summary: Shaggy seems to be a bit depressed, see what the gang does to try to cheer him up. Based on a coloring book picture I found.


It was a sad day, a sad day indeed…Well, at least for one lone man.

The whole world was quiet. It seemed life had drained of all its meaning. The future was bleak as the light was all out around the world… and all those other metaphors that could be used in this type of depressing situation.

"Come out of it Shaggy,"

Grumbled Daphne from the hallway doorframe. Casting her view at the sulking beatnik that had been sitting on the couch for the last while, staring at the front door all depressed. The only response he gave her was a deep sigh as is gaze didn't waver from the wooden door. He hadn't moved from the spot in a long time, and Daphne was starting to get worried for her friend. It wasn't good for him to be like this too long.

"Is he still brooding?"

A questioned tone came from Velma as she entered out of her room to the hallway where Daphne was waiting at the end of the stairs. The younger girl came to stand beside her taller companion looking into the living room at Shaggy. Daphne shot Velma a nod and rolled her eyes as she shook her head at the situation.

"He's only been gone half an hour, Shaggy." Daphne informed the grump pile in the living room. It wasn't like the dog had never left the house without Shaggy. Why was this time any different?

"But' like, it's felt like forever!"

The man moaned, his form melting into the cushions in hopelessness. Shaking their heads both Velma and Daphne were in agreement that Shaggy was obviously making a big deal out of a little situation. But he seemed to have settled into a mood that was going to be hard to get him out of, a task in itself.

"Come on Shaggy, Scooby is only going to be gone for a little while. He'll be back once he's done with his daily check ups." Daphne tried to consol the pouting man. But the bonds of man and dog were strong. Stronger then common sense it seemed, at least from his point of view.

"But… But…" Shaggy stuttered in his defense, mourning at the two girls. His eyes getting all watery from the over emotion he was gushing. "He's my best friend! What am I like' supposed to do while he's gone?"

"What are we… Chopped liver?"

Daphne said with a huff while Velma seemed amused that Daphne was getting so miffed at his whining. Giggling as Daphne had made a face at Shaggy, though he missed it paying not attention to anything beyond the door. Shaggy waved his hand in her direction, at least what he deemed as her direction.

"You guys are different. I am not going to play fetch or things like that with you guys."

"I better hope so." Velma responded quickly with a chuckle. "I would look downright silly with a stick or dog toy in my mouth." She made a motion, pulling up her hands up in front of her like she was begging and pretended to have something in her mouth. Daphne giggled but Shaggy didn't even look over, or blink. Velma kept the pose for a few seconds before she figured it was futile and stopped.

"Man… He's going to be a hard case to crack." Velma said running a hand through her hair in semi frustration. He was being more stubborn then normal, and it was starting to give her a headache.

"Case?"

A voice chimed off to the side, coming down the stairs. With a look of interest, Fred came into the area, eyes watching the girls who were standing before the gap from the hallway to the living room where Shaggy was sulking.

"Case? What case? Someone called and needs us?" Both girls looked at him as he descended and then pointed in unison into the other room. Their coordination was puzzling to Fred, which only added to his interest at what was going on.

"In there."

Confused, Fred finished descending the steps and peered into the living room in time to get another sorrowful sigh out of Shaggy. With his head tilted, he watched his sulking friend before he pulled back to look at the girls.

"Scooby's still not back?"

"It's not ever been an hour that he was gone," Velma pointed out, throwing a thumb Shaggy's direction. "…And that guy in there is still moping." Fred leaned over and blinked as Shaggy had not even shifted in his vigil wait for his canine best friend.

"Have you tried Scooby Snacks?" Fred suggested. When in doubt, the snacks did seem to improve his mood. The two girls looked at each other and nodded. It was worth a try, though they chided themselves for not trying it first.

Taking a short trip, Daphne and Velma went to the kitchen and retrieved one of the many boxes that occupied the locked cabinet by one side. Scooby Snacks clearly printed on the box. Daphne had found that Shaggy and Scooby, on honor system alone were not able to keep themselves from eating everything in sight if they had the chance. So for safe keeping, they had put the Scooby Snacks under lock and key. The lock was a present from a person they had helped, ensuring that the lock picking skills that the two had picked up over the years would not help against this lock, thus ensuring the safety of the snacks for moments such as these. Prize in hand, the girls came back to where Fred had found a spot in the living room to keep an eye on the unhappy Shaggy.

"Shaaaaaaaaaaaa-ggy!" Daphne sung in a sweet voice as she shook the mostly full box in her hands. For the first time, movement registered. Almost like his canine companion, Shaggy's ears seemed to perk as the box got shaken, though his eyes didn't move off the front door.

"Oh come on now. It's Scooby Snacks. You love Scooby snacks…." Daphne huffed as the box didn't get as much as a reaction as she had wanted. If anything is seemed to make the gloom around Shaggy increase.

"But… Like' it's not the same without Scooby…" He whined, earned another eye roll from Velma. Taking the box with her, she possessively flopped on the other side of the couch that Shaggy had been occupying. Flipping the top open, she looked quizzically at the contents of the box. A hand fiddled around the contents, trying to make as much rustling and noise as she could before she clasped her fingers around one of the treats. Bringing the snack out of the box, she continued with her dramatics in hope of getting his curiosity peaked enough to distract him.

"What's so good about these things anyway?" Peering at the snack, she twisted and turned it in the light of the room to try to unlock the secrets by a mere glance. In to which she was having no success. Leaning on the arch between the living room and hallway, Velma watched as Daphne tried really hard to get Shaggy's mind off of the missing companion.

"I mean…" Daphne continued, "These don't even look like much."

Even though the treats didn't look like much, they still were a decent size for a dog treat. They had though, been made with Scooby in mind, since the girls were the creators of the tasty snacks. Though it was much later that Daphne's father had then made into another million dollar business, taking that other dogs might like it as well as the Dane and Beatnik had.

"They taste good." A snort came from the other side of the couch; his resilience to be hardheaded was at a high today.

An eyebrow raised as the red-head looked at the treat and then into the box. Though, when she looked up, the treat that had been in her upright hand had vanished. Still leaning over from her sneaky capture, Velma held the prized treat in her hand to show off to Daphne she was the one to have stolen it. Before the other girl could react to the thievery, Velma popped the treat into her mouth. Straightening, she got a thoughtful look on her face as she pondered the taste in her mouth.

"Hey!" Daphne remarked, having her treat swiped by the younger girl. A raspberry was earned for her troubles. Shaking her head, Daphne dropped a hand into the box to get a snack for herself. She looked at it with doubt, not exactly sure she had the nerve to pop the dog treat into her mouth as quickly as Velma had. But a shrug later, the treat disappeared into her mouth.

"Hm… not bad." Daphne rolled the treat around her tongue inside her mouth, giving the treat time to dissolve in her mouth so she could get a clear taste. Velma nodded in agreement. For a thing made for a dog, it didn't taste too bad to a human. No wonder it was a favorite of Shaggy's.

"Really?" Fred looked over at the two girls. They had not made any odd faces to the taste as they tried it. He thought that this all was in an attempt to trick the moping guy at the end of the couch as they had eaten it. But they were seeming to be enjoying them enough that Velma had dipped into the box for a second.

"Jinkies!" Velma commented as she tried the second treat, her classic response to the snack actually gaining Shaggy's attention. Since she had used her magic key word for things, it was hard not to look over at why she had said it. Fred smiled as Velma stared at the half she still had in her hand, the other over her mouth.

"It tastes different…" She puzzled over the remainder of the treat as if it held the answer to the different taste. It looked basically the same as the first one she stole from Daphne, but this one had a different flavor to it.

"Well, there are…" Daphne started to say as she was reading the front of the box for the different flavors that the box might contain as the scruffy man at the end of the couch responded faster then she could.

"Pizza, Steak, Popcorn, Chicken and Omelet." He counted off the different types on his fingers as he said each aloud. Having spent way too much time reading the box, he even was able to recall the different tastes in the order they had advertised on the box. Daphne was both amazed and pitied him at the same time. But then Shaggy wouldn't be Shaggy without these little oddities he had.

Velma looked at the Scooby Snack with fascination. She had first gotten the Steak flavored one, which its taste could easily been pushed off as a generic 'meat' flavor that most treats had. But the omelet was the second flavor of the treat which threw her taste buds. It was much more complex then the steak, being only one rather then the different aspects of an omelet.

"That was certainly not something I knew about them…" Velma popped the rest into her mouth, paying attention to the nature of the snack as it melted in her mouth. Daphne had scrounged around the box till she found a treat that matched the shape of the 'omelet' one that was shown on the box and tried it herself. She too was surprised at the unique taste, though what impressed her more was the texture of the treat was not as harsh as she thought. Since dog foods always seemed to have more crunch then softness. But this had a nice balance of the two, which was impressive.

Watching the girls chow down, Shaggy almost seemed to want to join them, but a resolved shake of his head he looked back to the door. He didn't want to enjoy the snacks without his buddy, so he would wait… And ignore the fact his mouth was watering at the thought.

_Determinded…. Focus Shaggy Focus… _Shaggy's inner mind channeled.  
_But… Like' it's Scooby Snacks. _Another bit of Shaggy's mind invaded to point out.  
_But it's not fair to enjoy them without Scoob!_ Another chimed in.  
_But he always takes our food anyway. _Came a valid point from somewhere in the back.  
_No… We should wait. _A finalized thought pushed though all with a strong will.

As Shaggy's inner dialogue was debating, Fred had seen enough to get hungry him self and get enough courage to try it himself. He had always been curious about the food as well, but it wasn't always a nagging thought enough to get him to eat one. But who was he to be left out. Plus the flavors did sound nicer then other dog snacks he had seen in the stores.

Before he knew it, the treat was sitting in his hand. He stared for a moment before Daphne's voice cut into his concentration.

"Come on Fred! Everyone's doing it." She playfully pushed him. Velma snorted.

"Sure, peer pressure the guy into eating it. How mature, Blake." She joked with the older girl, nudging her with an elbow. Daphne pushed back.

"As mature as stealing from my hand is, Miss Dinkley…" A flash of pink tongue followed the snide remark, after with the appearance of a beaming grin. Fred smiled, used to the antics of the two and tossed the treat into the air. With a head tilted back, he maneuvered himself into position to catch it with his mouth. Clacking of teeth, he chewed the treat with a 'hm' of approval, appearing to agree with the girls of its good flavor.

Velma and Daphne looked at each other, a flicker of competition flashed as they both shoved their hands into the box to get enough snacks.

"Me!"

"No… Me first…"

"I bet I can catch more Scooby snacks in my mouth then you can!"

"Can not!"

"Can so!"

"Oh no you two don't!"

Fred jumped to the fray of hands and added his own, getting a handful of snacks and looked ready to complete. "I'll take both you on!" Fred's own eyes glowed in the light of completion, though harmless. He wasn't going to be showed up by the two of them.

This was one thing he felt confident he would have a better chance with since Shaggy was out of the running.

The snacks then flew, gaining air miles as they were tossed about. Many got eaten; others found a long fall to the floor. But it was clear that the gang was having fun. It took very little time, and fewer snacks to hit the floor before it was too much for one Beatnik to take. As one in particular went careening away from the missed catch, it drifted into Shaggy's view. Unable to restrain himself, he moved in to intercept the falling morsel. The snack never had a chance in the world to meet the floor, as the scruffy man found himself looking up at the gang as the watched on with smug looks on their faces.

"Come on you… It's not as much fun when we can actually beat each other. Who are we to look up too beat?"

Daphne wagged her hand for him to come closer to the rest of them. Velma tossed a treat by Shaggy that soon vanished on route. Shaggy could not hide a bashful blush that crept across his face as the gang awaited him to join their fun. Smiling, Fred went over and plopped a shoulder hug around the lankier man, making sure he moved closer to them and was unable to get away.

"Welcome back Shag." Fred said with a head ruffle, not that it made much difference to the already mussed hair he had.

The whole gang sighed with relief as Shaggy quickly joined and dominated the game. It didn't feel right if Shaggy wasn't in a cheery mood. Sure, he was human and was allowed to not be happy all the time. But it still didn't suit the laid back man to be on the lower side of the emotional spectrum.

Time passed and soon they all had fell to the floor in a fit of laughter, the glow of the moment of just enjoying each other's company had fallen apart as soon as Velma's infections giggles had gotten to them all. Mostly inspired at the disappointed look Shaggy had gotten when he finally missed a snack. They were not paying enough attention as the door opened and a shadow entered into the living room. Slinking to skirt the group as they laughed, the shape positioned itself for the attack. With the precision of a ninja, the form sprung and landed on the unsuspecting group.

"SCOOBY!" A shout came from them all as the Great Dane did a belly flop upon the group that occupied the floor. Shaggy was first to cling to the dog and half strangle him till his face started to turn blue.

"Ra…Ra…Raggy… R'air! R'air!" A frantic pointing to his neck gave signal to the beatnik he was hugging to much and had to let up.

"Sorry Scoob." Shaggy blushed, though he burrowed his face into the back of his buddies neck. "I miss you." He said sappily at the dog.

"Raw… Shucks." Scooby said, turning around and gave Shaggy a lick of affection, which earned an 'awwww' from the rest of the gang.

"See Shaggy, he wasn't gone that long." Daphne pointed out, giving the Dane an affectionate rub on the head. Scooby leaned into the rub and tilted his head so she would get his favorite spot behind his ear, which she did. Giving everyone a quick face bath, Scooby looked about at the mess across the floor. Shaggy, relieved that his pal was back, picked up the offending treat that had the gall to avoid being eaten by him earlier, tossed the treat up into the air to catch. A click of teeth was not rewarded by the taste of victory; but instead a loud chomping had followed. Opening the eyes he had closed, he found Scooby munching on the treat.

Shaking his head, Shaggy sighed happily. "That's my pal."

"Rooby-Dooby-Doo!"


End file.
